


You Belong With Me

by theartsaremypassion



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartsaremypassion/pseuds/theartsaremypassion
Summary: The one where J.T. pops the big question.
Relationships: Liberty Van Zandt/J.T. Yorke
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	You Belong With Me

**Author's Note:**

> as promised, here's my jiberty proposal thingy.

J.T. deeply exhales as he looks down at the tiny black box in front of him, the crushed velvet encompassing it staring squarely at him. This is, perhaps, the most important day of his life. Although he hasn’t lived long by many people’s standards, he is sure that it is soon to be the best day of his life, if he could only get her to say that magical word he has been dreaming of since he purchased the ring. 

It’s not every day that one asks their true soulmate to settle down and spend the rest of their lives with them, with the question being so big that it takes one’s breath away at just the mere utterance of the phrase. 

_Will you marry me?_

J.T. isn’t sure of many things in this sick, twisted world, but he’s sure of one thing – and that one thing is the fact that he wants to spend his every waking minute with Liberty for as long as there is breath in his body. There is no mistaking it. He knows that Liberty is his person, specially hand-picked by God to be his partner, his lover, his equal. Although they have faced many trials and tribulations as a couple, J.T. wouldn’t leave Liberty’s side for the world. He’d already done that once and regretted it so, very much. 

This ring that lay in its veil of crushed velvet represented many things for J.T., with love being just one of those many things. The other things were things like unity, peace, _hope_ – beautiful things that one can only dream of. 

Speaking of beautiful things, Liberty walks into their shared kitchen on this particular morning completely unaware of the big question facing her later on. Her footsteps give J.T. just enough time to slip the dainty black box into the pocket of his slouchy sweatpants. 

“Morning, J.T.,” she says, planting a gentle kiss on his temple. 

“Morning, my love,” J.T. smiles, taking a sip from his coffee cup. 

“So, what’s on the agenda for you today?” she asks, fixing herself a cup of coffee. J.T. can’t help but let his eyes wander all over her body, slightly sticking his tongue out as he eats up every inch of her body he sees. 

Noticing the lack of response, Liberty quickly looks over her shoulder to see what exactly was preoccupying J.T.’s thoughts enough to not answer her question. “Hello? J.T.?” 

J.T. quickly shakes his head and darts his eyes up to Liberty’s confused ones as the sound comes back to him. “Huh? Sorry. I was thinking of something.” 

“What exactly?” Liberty presses, starting the coffee machine. 

J.T. smirks as he licks his lips, knowing the power his words held over Liberty at this time of morning. 

“You naked,” he says bluntly. He smiles as Liberty squirms and grows quiet, the sound of the coffee machine the only thing being able to be heard in the now-quiet apartment. J.T. can only imagine the deep shade of pink that has arisen on Liberty’s cheeks, the comment surely making the blood rush to _other_ places. 

“To answer your question, though, I’m actually stopping by Degrassi today to meet up with Shane and Emma. They want me to watch their presentation or something boring like that.” 

“Ah,” Liberty quips, retrieving her coffee cup from the machine. 

“You should come. We haven’t really seen those two in a while,” J.T. says, taking another sip from his coffee cup. 

Liberty twists her lips as she ponders the idea, her fingernails slightly tapping against her coffee mug as she thinks. 

As she thinks, J.T. is praying to God that she’ll agree to go with him, seeing as that is the whole set up for his proposal later on that day. He only had an inkling previously that she might say yes to going, and he hopes she’ll fully agree to the idea. 

After what seems like forever, Liberty finally opens her mouth to speak. “Sure, why not,” she says, hunching her shoulders. “I could use a little field trip.” 

_Score!_

“Well, no need to sit around. What do you say we get going soon?” J.T. suggests, standing from the barstool. 

Liberty raises her eyebrows in suspicion. “You? Taking the initiative to do something? Something’s up.” 

J.T. firmly shakes his head. “The only thing that is up is the ceiling, my dear.” 

To avoid any other interrogation, J.T. quickly walks to their bedroom and begins to get ready, scared he’ll give away something else if he stays in the same room as her for too long. Luckily for him, Liberty just isn’t interested enough in calling J.T.’s bluff, her tiredness from working in the office the day before attributing to this. 

Soon enough, the couple are out and about on the road, J.T. nervously tapping the steering wheel the whole way there. It’s enough to make Liberty suspicious, but not enough for her to audibly question it. 

J.T. sighs as he parks the car in Degrassi’s parking lot, the time ticking before he is about to ask arguably the most important question in his life. Like a true gentleman, he opens Liberty’s car door to allow her to exit the vehicle. 

“Thanks,” Liberty says, climbing out of the car. 

“Anything for m’lady,” J.T. replies, doing a little bow. 

Liberty loops her arm in his as they approach the front steps of Degrassi, memories immediately flooding back to her. “Man, this place has changed.” 

J.T. doesn’t say anything, too busy in his own head to reply. 

J.T. once again opens the main door for her, allowing her to enter first. His heart begins to pick up its pace as soon as she steps foot inside, his plan just now beginning. 

Liberty immediately notices the lack of hustle and bustle in the atmosphere and makes a confused look at J.T. “Where is everyone?” 

J.T. only shrugs, unable to find the words to make a valid enough excuse. 

“Oh, you know what? I actually have to go pick something up from one of the classrooms. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” 

Before Liberty can question anything, J.T. is gone, the dimly-lit hallway not helping her poor eyesight. She then turns around to study some of the artwork on the wall, trying to occupy herself while J.T. is away. 

Just as she becomes lost in thought, she feels a tap on her shoulder, the tap nearly scaring her half to death. She whips around to find Emma and Sean standing before her, smug grins on their faces. 

“Gosh, you scared me. So, when’s the presentation?” 

Emma and Sean exchange looks at each other before looking back to Liberty. 

“It’s right now, actually,” Emma responds, handing Liberty a folded-up piece of paper. Liberty looks at the letter, confused, and looks back up at Emma and Sean to receive instruction on what exactly to do with it. Sean motions her to open it, his frivolous movements encouraging Liberty to do as he wishes. 

_‘Read this aloud’_

That is what is written at the top of the letter, in J.T.’s handwriting it seems. Being no stranger to following instruction, she does just as the letter instructs. 

“Where you’re standing right now, is the exact same spot where we first met – right next to the lockers before first period. Seems like forever ago, huh? I know my first impression of you wasn’t exactly the warmest thing in the world, but thanks for seeing me through until I got less stupid and finally _saw_ you. Open my old locker to receive further instruction,” she reads. She does as she’s told and opens his old locker to unveil a well-sewn skirt, which happened to be the exact same one J.T. had sewn for Liberty all those years ago. 

On it, is yet another note. She quickly unfolds it and begins to read aloud. 

“This skirt symbolizes many things for us, don’t you think? The first time we worked together, the first time I saw you as a person, and the first time you blackmailed me,” Liberty reads, chuckling at the last part. “It also showed me your integrity, as you didn’t take credit for my work, even when I wanted you to. That was pretty cool of you to do, considering you were willing to get a crappy grade just to tell the truth. It reminds me of our first fight by this locker, too. You told the truth – which was pretty freaking cool to thirteen-year-old me. Well, I could babble on forever about this, but for the sake of time, I won’t. Now, move that pretty tush of yours to the pool room.” 

Liberty blushes as she reads that last part. She sets the skirt back in the locker and proceeds to the pool room, having never actually seen it in person before as it was built after she graduated. She knows she’s close when she smells the strong scent of chlorine in the air, the scent bringing her back to the days of being in the hot tub with J.T. - although the scent in question was actually bromine, but she digresses. 

She opens the pool room doors to find Manny and Toby holding a pair of swimming trunks. On the trunks, is yet another note attached. For this note, the discretion is to not read it aloud, which Liberty doesn’t mind one bit. She reads the note and laughs as he talks about his wet dream about her. However, she begins to tear up as he talks about that moment being the first time he subconsciously fell in love with her. She isn’t one for tears, but the sweet words touch her deeply, as she never actually knew that fact before. 

On the bottom of the note, it says to approach classroom 214. The classroom seems oddly familiar to Liberty, but she can’t put her finger on it. Declining to think about it further, she walks in a seemingly daze to the room, not sure of what to expect next. Something in her suddenly tells her to look down, which she does, and she notices rose petals leading the way to the room. By this point, fat tears begin to well up in Liberty’s eyes as she gets a possible inkling as to what is going on. 

She lets out a deep exhale as she opens the door, her heart racing and hands shaking. The door opens to unveil J.T. with a rose in his hand, his shaggy hair making his eyes hard to see. Candles illuminate the classroom, and the sweet, sweet aroma of vanilla fills Liberty’s nose. She really begins to cry as she recognizes the classroom to be where they had shared their first kiss all those years ago. 

“J.T....” she sobs, accepting the rose from him with a shaky hand. 

Before she can even blink, J.T. is on bended knee, the black box in his hand opening to unveil the most beautiful ring Liberty had ever seen. 

“Liberty Elizabeth Van Zandt,” J.T. starts, his voice quivering a bit, “I love you more than my idiotic words can describe. I’ve loved you since the minute our lips first touched. Even during our torturous time apart, I could never stop thinking about you; like the way your nose twitches when you’re about to cry or when you crack yourself up with your own little science jokes that you _know_ I don’t understand.” J.T. pauses as he himself begins to tear up, the moment just too powerful on him. “So, would you make me the happiest little dork on planet earth and marry me?” 

J.T. swears his heart is beating out of his chest as silence fills the room, the low romantic music playing in the background the only thing being heard. 

“Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” Liberty exclaims, crying even harder. 

J.T. doesn’t hesitate as he gingerly pulls the ring out of its cocoon and slips it onto Liberty’s ring finger, the fit being perfect – just like she was. J.T. slowly stands, allowing for Liberty to better see the tears that had streamed down his face. 

Liberty then hastily closes the gap in between them and begins to passionately kiss J.T., not holding back one bit. They pull apart when they both hear a sniffle, with the culprit being Manny as she watches from the classroom door. 

“I love love,” she sobs, wiping away her tears. 

Liberty and J.T. both chuckle before turning back to each other and kissing once more, the love they feel for one another unable to be expressed in just words. 

J.T. couldn’t wait to start the rest of his life with Liberty by his side, like it should be. He couldn’t tell you how he got so lucky, but all he knew is that he was utterly in love with Liberty, and wanted to support her just like any soon-to-be-husband would. 

“I love you,” J.T. says, kissing Liberty’s cheek. 

“I love you, more.” 

Fin.


End file.
